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women and family. major gopts out of iran. demonstrations turn violent when government supporters and protesters clash in the streets. it did come down to a fight over mice? new theories and details behind the murder of yale graduate student annie le and more about the 24-year-old lab tech charged with her murder. i'm monica novotny. >> i'm al vex witt. alex witt. thousands take to the streets in protesting in iran. they marched in an event supporting the palestinians and in some cases blocks away, all protestifiers gathered and many shouting "death to the dictat dictator." right now, to the brookings institution and hillary clinton is previewing a speech she plans to give next week at the united nations. let's take a listen.

>> and the international community to build a more secure and hopeful future for its people. we look forward to the parliamentary election next january as an important milestone in this journey and we pledge to work with iraqis and the international community, including the invaluable u.n. mission to iraq to make these elections a success. as a result of our common efforts, our relationship with iraq can now enter into a period of transition, as our military draws down and the role of civilian agencies increases to better mead meet the needs of the future and insure a stable, sovereign, and independent iraq that contributes to peace and security in the middle east. this reflects no lessening of our commitment. on the contrary, it demonstrates we have entered a new, sustained and more mature partnership that will serve both of our countries far into the future. i'm pleased that vice president

biden, accompanied by deputy jim steinberg, recently returned to iraq to continue our robust gating with iraq's leaders. that partnership between our countries will, of course, continue to build security cooperation while strengthening -- >> we will monitor this from the booth. let's bring into the conversation savannah guthrie. let's talk about the missile issue. we know the czech republic and poland were all set to keep on with the plan that had been launched under the bush administration and now a change-up of plans and moving those stationary bases shot off the coast and more short-range missiles but let's talk about hillary clinton and what she is saying today at the brookings institute. >> i found it very interesting in her speech this morning. she took on those who would say that the administration is shelving missile defense and raises eyebrows here at the white house. they don't like to hear that.

from their perspective they are getting rid of the missile defense plan launched under the bush administration call for large scale bases in the czech republic and poland. getting rid of that, no question about that. they say they are moving to something more adaptable that will be ready sooner and putting interceptors on ships and some are already there and doing missile defense that more is targeted to what they feel the real threat from iran is. not as much long-range missile. they say now the threat is short-range or medium-range missiles and now a lot of critics. saying, look, what are iran decides to pursue long-range missiles? can we be reliant on the threat? other critics saying this is an occasion where the obama administration has laid down and coddled russia. they were serious all along and hated the missile defense in

eastern europe so they will be thrilled. the president of russia said this is a responsible move. some who criticize the obama administration think this is a case we have to russia and obviously, take a different view here. they do expect to have russian cooperation on issues like iran. >> i want to talk about health care and really this public relations blit. i'm shudder you've heard that the writer, the author rather of that book, "pr for dummies," says it's all about your controlling the message and not letting other people put words in your mouth. apparently the white house press conference taking a page out of this because they are exactly going out there and controlling the message effective today. >> oh, definitely. i mean, this will amount to what some of us call road block coverage on sunday morning. you'll see the president on four to five networks at the same time and he is also doing one of his own. there's no question, they feel that the president is their best

salesperson, their best advocate and they want to put him out there. they really cringe when anyone suggests that he could perhaps be overexposed that we're seeing too much of him. they think who else can better relay this message? they also say in this modern media environment this isn't the old days where the networks could deliver a huge audience where you do one interview and that would cover the terrain. this say this is a fractured media environment. you have cable and networks and newspapers and blogs and the internet so what they try to do is put him out there early and often and so they feel this is part and parcel of that strategy. >> from last week's "60 minutes" to espn and then in 36 hours from david gregory to david letterman, he he will be out there. thank you. don't miss david gregory's interview with the president on "meet the press." check your local listings for the times and you can check out the resigned website with "meet the press" and david gregory. regard. the first lady also wading

into the health care debate. in a few minutes she will speak at an event featuring women and families affected by the health care system in washington. we'll have that for you live. tasha robertson joins us now to talk about this. great to see you. >> you, too. >> we knew in the past it didn't work out for our current secretary of state, former first lady, hillary clinton. but, at the time, obviously, her role was so different and she was deeply involved in the details of it and pushing it along. michelle obama now stepping in at a different stage of the game. >> absolutely. >> they say she won't be necessarily talking specifics on this. so let's talk about why she is being put out there and why now? >> she won't be pushing policy, i guess, like miss clinton did. she'll focus on real family. she'll put regular americans and show how the challenges of not having health care has affected so many americans. and she's a woman, a mom, we won't see that hospital

executive, but she does have that background that can really -- that really she knows the details of the problems. she understands the costs so it provides her with credibility on this particular issue. >> it's so true with something we did talk about in the run-up during the campaign a lot about her background but not something we've talked about lately. we've seen her more as the first lady and mom and doing the gardening and the farmer's market and those kind of events but you're right, her background having worked if in the hospital system and knowing that intimately gives her more credibility out there and yet is as the mom she brings heart to the issue. >> i don't believe we'll see that executive. we will see that mom. we will see a woman who understands these issues and i believe she's going to talk about -- talk to regular americans about these issues. try to put a human face, while her husband is going to focus on the hard sale as you said this weekend, we're going to see a lot. she provides a softer side, but she amplified and really highlights exactly what he's

saying. >> thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> we are going to be waiting the first lady who will he speaking momentarily and when she does, we will bring it to you live. new clues about a possible motive of the possible death of yale grad student annie le. friends of raymond clark spoke out for the first time today saying they are shocked he is being charged with murder. >> everybody who has only known him the past week has now considered him a cold blooded killer and to me, ray is a compassionate person. i've known my entire life. >> jeff rossen is live in new haven, connecticut, for us. clark is held at a high correctional facility in the state there. what are we learning about him today? why he may have done this? >> what is interesting you're having a high school friends coming out like they did on the "today" today. he played baseball, all the girls had a crush on him.

and they with you talk to some of the lab workers after high school years later and they paint a different picket saying he is a nice guy fairly normal but a control freak as one of the lab workers said especially about the mouse cages. he worked in the mouse room in the basement of the research lab where this murder took place and also where annie le worked. we got an e-mail from one of the coworks overnight to nbc news who wrote this. so while police aren't coming out officially and talking about a motive, no question about it, we're told, investigators are looking into that as a possible motive. did he get angry at annie? did they have an argument? did he snap over a possible dirty animal cage? that was his job here. cleaned the animal cages. that is what these animal technicians do in labs like

this. not to jump to any conclusions, of course. police haven't said it. he hasn't been convicted of anything. but that's something they are looking at to figure out why this may have happened if it was, in fact, him. >> the answer to that could be the difference between first-degree murder charges and something of a lesser level. jeff, thank you very much. the search for the gop's next rising star. take you inside a summit for conservative voters under way in washington. a medical mystery fenly solved for one north carolina man. what a doctor found inside his lung. hard to swallow. >> oh, yeah! first, "saturday night live" weekend update returns to thursday. yea! no topic or person was off limits. great. >> you know who else is rude? really. joe wilson. >> really? >> joe, yelling you lie would be rude to a valet or a way or the so maybe don't yell it at the president! >> next time, can i suggest you're a liar liar? you lie sounds like a toddler or

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okay. so you've heard the stories about people swallowing coins or even nails. but what about that? see that? that's a piece of a plastic spoon from wendy's. it looks like that because after two years of coughing, john manly from north carolina find out he had a piece of that plastic utensil lodged inside his lung. duke university doctors successfully removed it after spotting it with a camera stuck down mannelly's throat. it is one of the weirdest things they've had to remove. >> taken green pea, blueberry, safety pin, thumb tack, but this

has to be one of the strangest objects. >> john mannelly's only explanation for swallowing that spoon handle, eating or drinking too quickly. >> my chest hurts! >> you think he would notice that. >> i guess not. republicans testing the waters for 2012. right now, gop is holding its summit, a three-day conference in which will see who wins their preference poll. brian is joining us from washington. good morning again, brian. >> good morning, alex. this is sort of the first exhibition game of the 2012 presidential race. we heard a couple of minutes ago from mitchell mcconnell. one of the all-star crowd out today to impress this car on the far right who want to convince those running for president that they are still the soul of the party. up next, air cantor the house

minority whip up next. former presidential candidate mike huckabee will be talking about abortion, about gay marriage. the typical issues that you'd have at a values voters summit but also he was talking about -- this got the biggest crowd response -- the government. >> just this week, a 477-page report on the s.e.c. has revealed that our problem is not that we didn't have enough government regulation, we had incompetent people who were doing the regulating. i'll tell you one of the answers for it to send a bunch of congressmen home next year and eventually an act -- enact term limits -- >> having a little bit of trouble as you saw technical trouble with the shot. one thing we wanted to ask him, who was not there, two key players were not there for the gop sarah palin and newt gingrich. reasons for that first of all, newt gingrich just literally got back from a tour of asia so he

has yet to make his way there. whether he will, we're not certain at this point. sln sarah palin is waiting for her son to come home from iraq and prepping for a speech in hong kong so she is not expected to make this summit which is under way right now in washington, d.c. >> speaking of sarah palin. how much would you pay to have dinner with her? right now, bidding for a chance to break bread with her, approaching $40,000. now, the dinner is part of a charity auction up on ebay to support wounded veterans. hurry up. the bidding ends today. deval pratt trick is patrick is one step closer to replacing ted kennedy. the bill is headed to the state senate. kennedy's seat would remain open until the special election that is scheduled for january 19th. coming up, why the fight for

60 votes on health care is just turned maine senator olympia snowe into the most popular woman on capitol hill. bill cosby talks about poverty, parenting and education and the important message our kids are trying to send. you're watching msnbc. your place for politics. carol, when you replaced casual friday with nordic tuesday, was it really for fun, or to save money on heat? why? don't you think nordic tuesday is fun? oh no, it's fun... you know, if you are trying to cut costs, fedex can help. we've got express options, fast ground and freight service-- you can save money and keep the heat on. great idea. that is a great idea. well, if nordic tuesday wasn't so much fun. (announcer) we understand. you need to save money. fedex kids who don't eat breakfast aren't getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. ( bell rings ) a nutritious start to the day is essential. that's why carnation instant breakfast essentials

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the hill newspaper and carrie, a reporter for politico. one of the finance committee members, chuck schumer saying the democrats on the committee trying to figure out a way to win over olympia snowe. here is what he said last night. >> i think there's a view on the part of the chairman and on the part of just about everyone who was there to try and come up with a consensus that every democrat and perhaps olympia snowe can support. and i would say just about everyone in the room voted -- >> senator snowe told john harwood she is more optimistic than less and support the right policy. what will it take to get her on board? >> well, the bill is going to change a lot when it goes to the senate finance committee next week. senator snowe has her own interests and the liberal democrats on that committee like senator jay rockefeller of west

virginia will offer his own amendments. he wants a public option back in there. the bill will change very much but i doubt it will obtain a public option and i bet it moves more towards olympia snowe. she has made it clear she is not the only one to be the only republican. the democrats don't want to use the process that would leave out the republicans and pass a partisan bill and likely with republican reaction shut down the senate. i think the white house and democratic leadership need to get snowe on as a 60th vote and keep all their democrats in line and pass it the old-fashioned way with 60 votes. >> that does seem to be the message from the white house. they don't want to turn to reconciliation. carrie, group of four and snowe is one of them and they all say the baucus plan has the potential. we have a statement from them. they say --

now, we know that all four senators have been skeptical of that public option. baucus' plan has a co-op and a.b. said this is going to change. what do you think we'll see? >> i think what senator schumer said last night was important. we've heard a lot of people griping about the bill, raising objections to it within the democratic party. but after this closed door meeting with just finance committee democrats, chuck schumer and senator baucus came out later and said we're going to pass a bill next week that can get 60 votes on the senate floor. which is so important in terms of understanding their strategy because that means we may see amendments on the public option possibly, we may see amendments on other on the progressive wing of the republican party but some strategy they will not allow

essentially amendments to pass in committee that could hurt the chances of getting 60 votes for the bill on the senate floor. so in a lot of ways, they are developing a strategy that will not allow, you know, single amendment to torpedo the chances of getting consensus on the senate floor after that. >> ladies, thank you both. >> thank you. one of the most famous former tv dads says it's time to focus on this nation's 13 million children below the poverty level. a panel will talk about parenting, education and health issues facing the poor in the united states. this in a live msnbc special. cosby hopes sunday's town hall will inspire change in communities across this country. >> the first thing that happened when i was going around and i had had enough of this and i kept saying to groups of people, our children are trying to tell us something and we're not listening. >> so he is doing his part

there. all of you can submit questions for the panel at msnbc.com. chat with your family about it. i'm going to gather my kids around and watch this thing. it's a live telecast and moderated by michelle bernard and will feature dr. bill cosby and other panelists including naacp president and it is this sunday live from howard university only on msnbc at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. still to come, friendly, short tempered and a control freak. friends are revealing new details about the 24-year-old lab technician charged with murdering yale university grad student annie le. is the big chill starting to thaw on senator max baucus' health care bill? word a number of democrats are beginning to soften their position. >> inside the house that jerry built. taking you live to arlington, texas, where the new cowboy stadium dubbed the eighth wonder of the world is gearing up for

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♪ senate democrats are preparing to fight to pass health care legislation with or without republican support and their highest priority focusing on getting 60 votes to cut off a filibuster and clear the way for a simple majority vote. nbc kelly o'donnell is live on capitol hill. good morning, kelly. >> good morning, alex and good to see you. >> all right. so we have -- how big a fight is this going to be? >> well, we know that it is rumbling here and everyone is trying to get a bit of advantage to try and move the debate and move some of the amendments that are going to be happening in their direction. there's been some internal concern among democrats.

many of them on the farther left part of the party have not been entirely pleased with the baucus plan because it lacks a public option. there are few voices that have been very strong on that. then more moderately, there are people in the democratic party who say it's still a bit too expensive and may put too much burden on some families who would have to incur extra costs if they didn't have health insurance and gets down to nitty-gritty detail and that is sometimes where you have the biggest fights. they may agree in big picture terms but trying to negotiate the best details is really what happens now. we've got a ways to go on that. >> okay. when you talk about the left, let's talk about jay rockefeller in particular. >> good example. >> he is a chairman of the finance subcommittee on health care and he said he was going to vote against the baucus billion. now, there's some softening. let's listen to what he had to say. >> there was some -- quite a good deal of consensus that came

out of it feeling pretty good. but the point was we have to be together. we have to be together. you can't get everything you want, but you also can't bring to the floor to the committee something that isn't a good bill. >> so not clear where he stands at this point yet, right? >> well, what you see there is that strain that lawmakers are going through of wanting to make certain they don't turn their back at a time when they believe, democrats in particular, believe health care must be passed but rockefeller is a huge opponent of the public option. remember, he's from west virginia. he has great seniority and west virginia has a large coal miner population and he believes for his voters and constituents back home, a public option would be very useful for them to get access to more affordable health care paid for by individual premiums, but backed by the federal government. so he's a big proponent.

he is not walking away from that but trying to not harden the lines saying if there isn't a public option, i'm turning away. so what we're seeing is how they are trying to work together and it's interesting. if you love politics like we do, just those details in the tone of voice and the word he chooses gives you a sense of how hard this really is. >> i'm glad you're on it going through the incremental steps we take as we march toward health care. thank you so much. >> a.c.o.r.n has fired another employee as a result of that hidden camera sting. officials in san diego got rid of an employee caught on tape giving advice about smuggling. he told people how to smuggle people into the country from mexico. he was not disciplined but that decision was reversed and he was let go. we are awaiting our first lady speaking now in the wake of the health and human service

services kj lean sebelius. let's hear what she has to say on her stand on health care. >> she is always there. for the past eight months and before, if was there a big event, an important event, she finds a way to be here. she is my inspiration and it is wonderful to see you again today. thank you so much. thank you all for joining us today for the outstanding work you're doing every day on behalf of women and families all across this country. i have to thank our extraordinary secretary of health and human services, kathleen sebelius, to taking the time to be here. and for her tireless efforts to keep our nation healthy and that includes not just pushing for health insurance reform, but

preparing us for h1n1, pursuing cutting-edge research to find treatments and cures for tomorrow. clearly, this is not the easiest portfolio she could have, but she is doing a terrific job and we are grateful for her leadership. and i also want to thank tina chin, who you all know, for emcees today. she, too, is doing a fabulous job as director of our office of public engagement and she played a critical role in pulling together today's event, not just as an emcee but as a key figure head, making sure we are all aware what have is going on. finally, i want to thank the three women behind me. to debbie easter and roxie. it is not easy to come here and tell your story and these

stories aren't new. you know, these stories are happening all over this country. not just for thousands of women, for millions of them. for two years on the campaign trail, this was what i heard from women, that they were being crushed, crushed by the current structure of our health care. crushed. but these stories that we've heard today and all of us, if we're not experiencing it, we know someone who is. these are the stories that remind us about what is at stake in this debate. this is really all that matters. this is why we are fighting so hard for health insurance forum. this is it. this is the face of the fight.

and that is why i'd like to talk to you today. that's why i'm here. that's why reform is so critical in this country. not tomorrow, not in a few years, but right now. people are hurting in this country right now. but there is also a reason why i invited this particular group to talk today. there's a reason why we've invited the leaders, not only from family advocacy groups and health care advocacy groups, but for so many organizations that have been fighting for decades for empowerment for women. and that is because when it comes to health care, as the secretary said, as we all know, women play a unique and increasingly significant role in our families. we know the pain because we are usually the ones dealing with it.

8 in 10 women, mothers report that they are the ones responsible for choosing their children's doctor, for getting them to their checkups, for managing that follow-up care. women are the ones to do it. mothers are the ones that do it. and many women find themselves doing the same thing for their spouses. yes. and more than 10% of women in this country are currently caring for a sick or elderly relative. it's often a parent, but it could be a grandparent or a mother or a relative of some sort, but it's often a parent. so they are making critical health care decisions for those family members as well. in other words, being part of the sandwich generation is what we are now finding, raising kids while caring for a sick or elderly parent, that's not just a work family balance issue

anymore. it's not just an economic issue anymore. more and more, it is a health care issue. it's something that i have thought a great deal about as a mother. i will never forget the time eight years ago when sasha was 4 months that she would not stop crying and she was not a crier, so we knew something was wrong. so we, fortunately, were able to take her to our pediatrician that next morning. he examined her and said something's wrong. we didn't know what. but he told us that she could have meningitis. so we were terrified. he said, get to the emergency room right away. and, fortunately, for us, things worked out because she is now the sasha that we all know and love today who is causing me great excitement!

but it is that moment in our lives that flashes through my head every time we engage in this health insurance conversation. it's that moment in my life, because i think about what on earth would we have done if we had not had insurance? what would have happened to that beautiful little girl if we hadn't been able to get to a pediatrician who is able to get us to an emergency room? the consequences, i can't even imagine. she could have lost her hearing, she could have lost her life if we had had to wait because of insurance. and it was also fortunate that we happened to have good insurance, right? because if we hadn't had good insurance like many of the panelists up here, we would have been handled with costs for covering that emergency room visit, for her two days in the hospital. we would have still been paying

off those bills. and this issue isn't something that i thought about as a mother. i think about it as a daughter, as many of you know, my father had multiple sclerosis. he contracted it in his 20s. and as you all know, my father was a rock. he was able to get up and go to work every day, even though it got harder for him as he got sicker and more debilitated, and i find myself thinking what would we have done as a family on the south side of chicago if my father hadn't had insurance? if he hadn't been able to cover his treatment, who would it have done to him to think that his illness could have put his entire family into bankruptcy? and what if he had lost his job, which, fortunately, he never did. what if his company had changed insurance, which, fortunately, never happened. and we became one of the

millions of american families who can't get insurance because of a preexisting condition. so these are the thoughts that run through my mind as i watch this debate and hope that we get it right. but let's be clear, women aren't just disproportionately affected by this because of the roles we play in families. as tina and kathleen mentioned, women are affected because of the jobs that we do in this economy. we all know that women are more likely to work part-time or to work in small companies or businesses that don't provide any insurance at all. women are affected because, as we heard in many states, insurance companies can still discriminate because of gender and this is still shocking to me. these are the kind of facts that still wake me up at night, that women in this country have been denied coverage because of

preexisting conditions like having a c-section, or having had a baby. in some states, it is still legal to deny a woman coverage because she's been the victim of domestic violence. and a recent study showed that 25-year women are charged up to 45% more for insurance than 25-year-old men for the exact same coverage. and as the age goes up, you get to 40, that disparity increases to 48%. 48% difference for women for the exact same coverage in this country, but it's not just women without insurance as we've heard, as we know who are affected. plenty of women have insurance. but it doesn't cover basic women's health services like maternity care or preventive care like mammograms or paps

smears which we all know we have to have. we can't go without these basic services, but many insurance policies don't even cover it. or a policy caps the amount of coverage that you can receive as you've heard, or it drops coverage when people get sick and they really need the care. or maybe people have coverage, but their worried about losing it if they lose their jobs or if they change jobs or if the company changes insurance carriers, out-of-pocket costs get higher and higher. it's hard to be able to plan your monthly bills when you don't know your premiums are going to be. so a lot of people find they have to drop their insurance because they can no longer afford it. just think about it. many women are being charged more in health care coverage but as we all know, women are earning less. we all know that women earn 78

cents on the dollar to a man, so it's not exactly surprising when we hear statistics that more than half of women report putting off needed medical care simply because they can't afford it. now, we have trouble putting ourselves first when we have the resources, just making the appointment when you have insurance to get your regular screenings, to take care of those illnesses, those bumps and lumps and pains that we tend to ignore, but then not to be able to do it because you don't have insurance, you don't have insurance, it's not surprising that so many millions of women around this country are simply going without insurance at all. see, the thing that we all know is that the current state, this current situation is unacceptable. it is unacceptable.

no one in this country should be treated that way. it's not fair. it's not right. and these are hard-working people we're talking about, right? people who care about their kids, care about their lives. and these circumstances could happen to any of us. this is one of those their butt for the grace of god go i kind of situations. none of us are exempt ever. so i think it's clear that health insurance reform and what it means for our families is very much a women's issue. it is very much a women's issue. and if we want to achieve true equality for women, if that is our goal, if we want to ensure that women have opportunities that they deserve, if that is our goal, if we want women to be

able to care for their families and pursue things that they could never imagine, then we have to reform the system. we have to reform the system, the status quo is unacceptable. it is holding women and families back and we know it. fortunately, that is exactly what my husband's plan proposes to do and it's important for us to understand some of the basic principles of that plan. under his plan, if you don't have insurance now or you lose your insurance at some point in the future, you'll be able to purchase affordable coverage through an insurance exchange. a marketplace with a variety of options that will let you compare prices and benefits. this is exactly the approach that is used to provide members of congress with insurance. so the thought is that if it's good enough for members of

congress, it should be good enough for the people who vote them in. and this is also an important part of the plan. if you already have insurance and it seems that there are a lot of people who are worried who will lose what they have under this plan, but understand this plan, if you already have insurance, you're set. nothing changes. you keep your insurance. you keep your doctors. and you're blessed. this plan just puts in place some basic rules of the road to protect you from the kinds of abuses and unfair practices that we've heard. under this plan, insurance companies will never again be allowed to deny people like debbie and her son coverage for preexisting conditions. sounds like a good thing. so whether you have breast

cancer, diabetes, asthma or hypertension, or even just had a c-section or some mental health treatment, that you had in your past, none of that will be a reason to refuse you coverage under the plan that my husband is proposing. because when you're fighting an illness, he believes that you shouldn't also have to be in the process of fighting the insurance companies at the same time. a basic idea. under this plan, insurance companies will no longer be able to drop your coverage when you get too sick or refuse to pay for the care that you need or to set a cap on the amount of coverage that you can get. and it will limit how much they can charge you for out-of-pocket expenses. because getting sick in this country shouldn't mean you that go bankrupt.

that's a basic principle of this plan. and, finally, this plan will require insurance companies to cover basic preventive care. seems sql. seems simple. from routine checkups to mammograms to pap smears and this would come at no extra charge to the patient. so folks like roxy can get the chance to get the kind of screenings that she needs to save her life. because we already know that if we catch diseases, like cancer early, we know this, it's much less costly to treat and we might just be able to save some lives. we know this. so under this plan, we can save lives and we can save money. it's not just good medicine but it's good economics as well. so i think this is a pretty reasonable plan.

i don't know about you. [ applause ] but i know many of you believe it's a good plan as well. and i know that many of the groups that you represent believe that what we're doing here, this fight, is important. it's important to this country. it's important to women. it's important to families that we succeed. and now more than ever, as tina said, as secretary sebelius said, we need to act. no longer can we sit by and watch the debate take on a life of its own. it is up to us to get involved. because what we have to remember is that now more than ever we have to channel our passions

into change. that's nothing that you all haven't done before, right? you all have been the driving force behind so many of our greatest health care achievements. whether it's been children's health insurance, to funding breast cancer research, stem cell research to passing the family medical leave act. the folks in this room, you're the ones who made those phone calls, right? that you wrote those letters, you knocked on those doors. you're the ones that helped make that happen. and that's exactly what we need you to do today for health insurance reform. we are going to need you over the next few weeks to mobilize like you've never mobilized before. we need you to educate your members about what the plan really is and what it isn't because education is the key to

understanding. and it's going to take phone calls to explain, to talk things through, to make sure that people understand not just what's at stake but what this all means. and we know there will be all sorts of myths and misconceptions about what the plan is and isn't and so it's so important that you make sure that people know the facts and at least they make their decisions based on the truth of what this plan is and isn't. we need you to make your voices heard right here in washington. and you all know how to do that. and no, it won't be easy. because they're always folks who are always afraid to change. you know? we all understand that. we talked about this all during the campaign. change is hard. sometimes the status quo, even if it isn't right, feels comfortable because it's what we

know. so it is understandable that people are cautious about moving into a -- a new place in this society. there will always be folks who will want things to stay just the way they are. to settle for the world as it is. we talked about that so much. this is one of those times. but, look, i am here today standing before you as the first lady of the united states of america because you all didn't settle for the world as it is, right? [ applause ] you refused to settle. and as a result of many of your efforts as a young girl, i was able to dream in ways that i

could have never imagined. that my mother could have never imagined. that my grandmother could have never have imagined. and thanks to so many of you, i am raising these beautiful young women, you know? who -- [ applause ] -- are going to be able to think so differently about their place in the world because of the work that you've done. health care reform is part of that movement. health insurance reform is the next step. so we're going to need you all focused and clear, picking up the phones, talking, calling, writing your congressmen and women. making this something that is the highest priority for all of us so that we can make sure that every single family in this

country can move forward as we hope that they can. that they don't have to worry about whether they can insure themselves. they don't have to worry whether their kids are going to break an arm. that's what kids do, they break stuff. so i am grateful for all of you for the work that you've done and for what i know that we can do together over the next several weeks. but we have to be, what, fired up and what? and ready to go. a little fired up and ready to go. so thank you so much. god bless you all. and god bless america. >> the first lady speaking out on health care reform. the first of several town hall chats she has planned for the fall. dr. nancy will have more on this coming up. >> she sure will. she's speaking very, very first person, don't you speak. >> definitely.

bringing heart to the issue. and framing as a woman's issue. talking about status quo, holding women back. i'm monica novotny. >> i'm alex witt. kind of early but we've got dr. nancy coming up next. all over the place. >> stay with us. folk music play) kids who don't eat breakfast aren't getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. ( bell rings ) a nutritious start to the day is essential. that's why carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies all the nutrients of a complete breakfast. so kids get the protein and calcium they need to help build strong muscles and healthy bones. carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. carnation instant breakfast essentials. boon motorcycle insurance, rv,at geiccamper, boat insurance. nice work, everyone. exec: well, it's easy for him. he's a cute little lizard. gecko: ah, gecko, actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent

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